Academy

Cory Academy is the youth outreach arm of the Cory Band. Cory currently enjoys an envious position as the world’s number one ranked brass band, a position it has enjoyed for an unprecedented ten consecutive years. Cory recognise the issues facing all brass bands in the 21st century – the need to be relevant and forward thinking, to engage with new and wider audiences, and to recruit into the brass band movement additional new players, both young and old alike.

Cory aim to tackle these issues both locally throughout South Wales and wider, through Cory Academy, encouraging greater engagement with youth, increased participation in brass band music making, and greater collaboration between brass players and bands across the whole of Wales.

On 21 March 2013, Cory launched the RCT Academy for bands across Cory’s home county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. Supported by a major award from the Arts Council of Wales, within 3 months Academy membership stood in excess of 100 children in membership of 8 bands throughout the county borough. In June of that year those children then all came together for their first non-residential weekend course with expert Cory tutors at Porth County Community School, after which they then undertook their first public performance, appearing in concert with the world’s number one band in concert at the Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.

The Academy programme was expanded in 2014, to encompass and launch an additional four bands, and has undertaken numerous additional workshop weekends and public performances since, including a recent performance with Cory and the world renowned Morriston Orpheus Choir at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea on St David’s Day 2015.

In June 2014 the Cory Academy was awarded the prestigious W.S. Gwynn Williams Award by the centre for Welsh music, Ty Cerdd, for its contribution to Welsh music and local community. The Cory Academy now look forward to perpetuating its activities in 2017 and beyond thanks to the continued support from the Arts Council of Wales.

For further information on how your child can get involved with one of the Academy supported bands throughout south Wales please get in contact via the Cory Academy Facebook Page.